But weeks later, the program sent a form asking for clear copies of the passes by mail. It also asked for copies of the full tickets - an extra hoop held very high.

I was ticketed electronically - as the program's administrators know, having seen my fax - so I held those tickets only long enough to walk the few steps from the gate agent's station to the top of the airplane's Jetway. (I didn't pass a photocopier along the way.)

The case remains unresolved. My sense is that I'll ultimately get my miles. But I'll probably be as wrung out from extracting them as I'd be if I had run them.

Today's lead story probes the promise of savings from shopping with discount cards. Consumers can win. But it takes a little work.

Reach us at work@csps.com.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor

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